Meet Our Ceramics Instructors
Karen Zukrow
Karen’s pottery journey began with a wedding gift and blossomed into a lifelong passion. From classes in California, Florida, and Las Vegas, she discovered the joy of creating, the benefits for her mental health, and a sense of community. Inspired by nature, she enjoys hand-building and wheel work, especially making sets of bowls. As South Shore Arts’ studio tech, she delights in seeing students’ progress and finished pieces.
Rhonda Szymanski
Rhonda Szymanski is a ceramic artist and instructor with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in hand-building functional pottery and small sculptures. A former high school art teacher, she also taught drawing, painting, and printmaking. Rhonda lives in Highland with her husband and two cats.
Cole Valle
Cole Valle is the Education Coordinator at South Shore Arts and a dedicated potter and small business owner. She has been teaching ceramics at South Shore Arts for five years and continues to lead classes. Cole also works as an elementary school librarian, fostering a love of reading and learning. Passionate about creativity, education, and nature, she enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors, drawing inspiration for her work.
Pam Anderson
Pam Anderson loves working at the pottery wheel, creating bowls and teapots—her favorite forms. She enjoys helping students plan and bring their ideas to life, inspiring creativity in the studio.
Cindy Schultz
Cindy Schultz has loved pottery and crafts since college, where she often spent her free time in the studio. A former middle school teacher, she enjoyed incorporating art into her lessons and sharing her knowledge with students. Since retiring, Cindy has returned to pottery, honing her skills and exploring new techniques. She teaches pottery classes, combining her love of the craft with her experience as an educator. Cindy also enjoys playing the ukulele and sings weekly with the Just for Fun Ukulele Strummers.
Meet Our Drawing & Painting Instructors
Jared Day
Jared Day, owner of PlanetDaystorm Studios in Park Forest, Illinois, is a comic book creator and artist. He teaches step-by-step drawing lessons for all ages, focusing on comics, anime, and cartoons. Outside the studio, he enjoys video games, anime, and superhero movies with his wife and daughter.
Eurnice Harris-Scarver
You’ll meet Eurnice Harris-Scarver, an inspirational, multi-medium artist specializing in custom portraits, fine art, and concept illustrations. She has a Bachelor of Art from Columbia College Chicago and has exhibited work in solo and group shows, including the PNW Art & Innovation exhibit (2025) and Eye on the Arts (2024).
As a teacher, she helps students tap into their creative gifts, guiding them to explore art in meaningful ways. Eurnice draws inspiration from everyday life, nature, spiritual themes, and stories that celebrate the beauty of being human. Through her work, she encourages you to discover your talents and pursue your purpose.
Judy Hallie
Judy Hallie has been nurturing aspiring artists for over two decades. She adapts her classes to meet students’ needs, encouraging imagination and creativity in a dynamic, supportive environment. Judy holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has taught sculpting, painting, and drawing at Moraine Valley College, inspiring students of all ages to embrace the transformative power of art.
Leona Jurincie
Leona Jurnice studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. She continues her education by attending conventions and workshops to learn new techniques in various mediums.
Known for her distinct style of realism and the rich colors she uses to create a detailed look, people often mistake her painting for a photograph. Her goal is to make people think they can “smell a flower or touch the material in a painting because it looks so real”.
Leona has been teaching art in Chicago and Northwest Indiana area since 1995 and has the reputation as a gifted instructor. She is exceptionally versatile in several mediums, which has allowed her to teach a variety of workshops. Her workshops are a learning experience. New techniques and skills learned are as important to Leona as is the relaxed atmosphere. She is always learning.
Merrionna Pierce
A multifaceted artist with a passion for fluid movement and vibrant expression, Merrionna is best known for her acrylic paint pouring and abstract creations. Her work flows effortlessly across media from the vivid translucence of alcohol inks to the layered storytelling of collage and the tactile depth of mixed media with repurposed materials. Each piece is an exploration of color, texture, and emotion, blending spontaneity with intentional design. Inspired by faith, nature, music, and personal journeys, she creates art that invites the viewer into a world of curiosity and connection. Merrionna’s portfolio reflects both a signature fluid style and a fearless embrace of experimentation, making every work a unique visual experience.
Carianne Blain
Carianne Blain grew up in a fun artistic household where purple walls and paint covered clothes were norm. She attended Pratt University in Brooklyn with a focus in Photography and received a bachelor's in fine arts. She explored careers in interior design, entertainment merchandising and photography but over the past 8 years motherhood became her main focus. She enjoys painting, making creative gifts, thrifting, diy projects and sharing that with her kids reminding them home and nature is a space where “mess”is welcomed and creativity is encouraged. She finds the most joy in watching kids explore art in more ways than a worksheet or structured craft, but rather an individual expression.
Meet Our Acting Instructors
Neva Hutchinson
Neva Hutchinson has acted in New York, Maine and San Francisco in over 60 theater productions. She's worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Jon Voight and Will Smith in film.
She’s acted in “One Life to Live”, “Midnight Caller” and commercials for Toyota and Liberty Mutual Life.
She taught Shakespeare to middle-schoolers for 14 years with each year ending in a production. She produced a fun Summer Theatre Camp for 8 years, and is looking forward to having fun with the talented Indiana students!
Gary Wilson
Gary Wilson’s career in the arts is deeply rooted in his passion for performance and visual art. He trained at Northeastern Illinois University in Speech and Performing Arts and has taught theater, acting, and abstract painting. He has performed at Chicago Street Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Black Ensemble Theatre, with film credits including DreamWorks’ The Road to Perdition. A Jeff Award nominee for his role as Oscar Charleston in Ty Cobb, Gary now teaches and directs theater and art at South Shore Arts for young adults and adults.
Interested in joining the team at South Shore Arts and becoming an art instructor! Contact Director of Eduction, Natalie Heath by email at Natalie@southshoreartsonline.org or by phone 219-836-1839x 101.